Massachusetts Oil Spill Prevention and Response Efforts

Deepwater Horizon Monitoring

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is now the largest oil spill ever to affect the marine waters of the United States. Although this spill is occurring far from the coast of Massachusetts we are monitoring the trajectory of the oil and are coordinating with many state and federal agencies so as to be prepared to effectively protect our natural and economic resources.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration (ORR) does not expect oil from the Gulf of Mexico to reach New England. NOAA currently predicts there is a small chance that heavily weathered oil, in the form of tar balls, could reach North Carolina, but that would likely be the extreme northernmost range of impact.

• Minimal Potential for DeepWater Horizon Oil Spill to Impact New England Coastal Waters
• NOAA - Statistical Modeling/Long Term Oil Movement

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Massachusetts Oil Spill Prevention & Response Efforts

Despite the remote possibility of oil from the Gulf reaching our coast MassDEP is continuing efforts begun in the aftermath of the 2003 Buzzards Bay oil spill to strengthen Massachusetts' ability to prevent and respond to oil spills in the coastal waters of the Commonwealth. Much of this effort has been focused on reducing the risk of a spill from tank barge traffic travelling through Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal but additional efforts have been more widely targeted toward oil spill preparedness including providing state and local first responders with the tools and training necessary to mount a timely and effective response to a marine oil spill in local waters. Information and links on this page highlight MassDEP's ongoing efforts to prepare for, prevent and respond to marine oil spills.

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Oil Spill Response Preparedness

Map of Coastal Communities with Oil Spill Response Trailers

MassDEP has provided an oil spill response trailer to each of the listed coastal communities (click on link below for full-sized map). MassDEP currently owns 76,500 feet of near-shore containment boom and 2,000 feet of off-shore containment boom, both of which are used in response to fresh oil spills, and over 16,000 feet of snare boom, which is used to "snare" tar balls.

MassDEP has 25 trained emergency responders, on call 24/7, who drill with U.S. Coast Guard ((USCG), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and local responders (fire departments, shellfish wardens, harbor masters) on response to oil and hazardous materials incidents. Many of these staff are specially trained in marine oil spill response techniques.

• Link to Map of Coastal Communities with Oil Spill Response Trailers

MassDEP emergency response vehicle pulling oil spill trailer.

MassDEP also contracts with experienced oil spill response companies to provide incident response and cleanup. These companies have experienced staff and stockpiled equipment for use in responding to marine oil spills. DEP and USCG are monitoring those companies to ensure that local response capacity is maintained at adequate levels. For more information on this equipment click on the link below

• Oil Spill Prevention and Response Equipment

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First Responder Oil Spill Training

"Hands on" oil spill training for first responders from coastal communities

MassDEP sponsors "hands on" oil spill training for first responders from coastal communities in order to develop and maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively and safely respond to an oil spill. The following links provide information on training activities sponsored by MassDEP and can be used by responders who can not attended the "hands on" class or as a refresher for those who have.

• MassDEP-Sponsored Training Events
• Massachusetts Geographic Response Plan Testing Program

In addition to the MassDEP-sponsored training, there are numerous workshops and online training tool available, such as those provided by the National Institute of Environmental Science (NIEHS). The NIEHS Training Tool is an awareness-level health and safety resource for "skilled support personnel" (SSP) who participate in an oil spill response and cleanup. This tool helps workers understand: what an oil spill is, the characteristics of an oil spill response, and how to identify and control hazards pertaining to the response and cleanup activities associated with an oil spill.

• NIEHS Cleanup Worker Safety & Training Page

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Massachusetts Geographic Response Plans (GRPs)

Geographic Response Plans are a map based response tools designed to guide local responders by providing information on sensitive coastal areas and suggesting response strategies for protecting these areas. Geographic Response Plans have been developed for Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod & the Islands, the North Shore of Massachusetts. A GRP for Boston Harbor is under development and will be completed in the fall of 2010. The South Shore (Cohasset to Plymouth) and Mt. Hope Bay GRP's will be developed in 2011. More information on the Massachusetts GRP's can be found at the link below.

• Massachusetts Geographic Response Plans

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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Links to Deepwater Horizon response effort information:

• Official Deepwater Horizon Web Site
• NOAA
• NOAA - The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)
• Rutgers University
• UMass Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST)
• Northeaster Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)
• Southeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (SECOORS)
• Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (GCOOS)
• Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System: Currents

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Links to Other Oil Spill Information

Federal Oil Spill Resources

• EPA Website on Health and Environmental Impacts of the 2010 Gulf Coast Oil Spill
• EPA Emergency Management: Oil Spills
• EPA Emergency Management: Response to Oil Spills
• EPA Emergency Management: Oil Spill Response Techniques
• Fish and Wildlife Services Oil Spill Environmental Contaminants Program: Oil Spill Preparation and Response
• OSHA Training Marine Oil Spill Response Workers under OSHA's Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard
• OSHA's Keeping Worker Safe During Oil Spill Response and Cleanup Operations
• OSHA Letter (1993) Regarding Training Requirements for Emergency and Post-Emergency response to Marine-based Oil Spills
• National Contingency Plan
• National Response Team's Update of Implementation of Recommendation from the NRT Following Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1.1MB)
• NASA Earth Observatory: Gulf of Mexico
• NOAA National Ocean Service Office of Response and Restoration Shoreline Assessment Job Aid (2.85MB)
• NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Report for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (402KB)
• NIOSH Certified Equipment List on Respirators
• NIOSH Respirator Trusted-Source Information Page
• The White House Press Briefing on BP Oil Spill on the Gulf Coast
• The 1990 Oil Pollution Act
• ATSDR Fact Sheet for Fuel Oils 147 KB)
• DOT EPA DOI 1994 Training Reference for Oil Spill Response (6.59 MB)
• DHS and Coast Guard One Gulf Plan on Incident Response Planning (3.11MB)

Other Oil Spill Resources

• Marine Spill Response Corporation
• Lamor Oil Spill Recovery equipment and services
• Laborers' National Health and Safety Fund's Report of the Public Health Team Assessing the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Cleanup (5.8 MB)
• Southeast Alaska Petroleum Resource Organization--Oil Spill Decontamination Procedures (125KB)
• Southeast Alaska Petroluem Resource Organization--Responder Safety Guide (3.28MB)

State and County Spill Resources

• New Hampshire DES: State's Preparedness & the Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
• UC Davis Oiled Wildlife Care Network
• Spill Tactic for Alaska Responders's Personnel Decontamination Document  (1MB)  

Multimedia Resources

• NIEHS WETP Worker Safety for the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
• Hindsight and Foresight: 20 years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
• NOAA Oil Pollution Act of 1990

News Reports

• BP's New Strategy: Containment Boxes Will Be Placed Over Spilled Oil in Gulf 
• EPA Ramps Up Air Quality Monitoring for Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill 
• Rep. Charlie Melancon: A Firsthand Look at the Louisiana Oil Spill
• Health officials order air quality testing after fuel smell blankets metro area

Social Media Resources

• Facebook: FL volunteers 
• Twitter: Americorps Volunteer Information 
• Twitter: DeepwaterHorizon JIC Site  
• Facebook: EPA  
• Twitter: EPA  
• Facebook: EPA Administrator  
• Twitter: EPA Administrator  

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